


You're Perfect Just the Way You Are

by teej_318



Series: Byler and Reddie Oneshots [10]
Category: IT (2017), Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Boys Hugging, Boys In Love, Brothers hugging, Comfort, M/M, Richie Tozier and Mike Wheeler Are Twins, Ted Wheeler is a douchebag, Ted Wheeler is canceled
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-06-27 17:11:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19795321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teej_318/pseuds/teej_318
Summary: Mike and Will are having a sleepover when they are woken up by the arrival of an unexpected guest.





	You're Perfect Just the Way You Are

Will stirred slightly in his sleep when he heard the tapping on his window. He thought it was just the tree next tapping his window so he shut his eyes again. When the tapping sounded more urgent, Will opened his eyes again and sat up in bed, squinting across the room to get a better look. His eyes widened when he recognized the person standing outside his window. Will glanced to his side and saw Mike was still sleeping next to him, which could only mean one thing.

“Richie,” Will muttered as he threw the blankets off of him. He turned to Mike and shook him gently. “Mike, Richie’s here. He’s outside.”

“Huh?” Mike replied sleepily.

“It’s Richie. He’s outside.” Will said more urgently.

Mike sat up and scrambled out of the bed. He hurried over to the window and opened it before he stood aside so Richie could climb in. Will, meanwhile, turned on the lamp that was on the nightstand. As soon as the room was partially lit up, both Mike and Will noticed that Richie’s eyes were red and that he had dried tears on his cheeks.

“What’s going on, Richie?” Mike demanded as he guided Richie over to Will’s bed and sat down with him. “Are you okay?”

“It’s all my fault, Mike,” Richie said as fresh tears fell down his face. “Please don’t hate me.”

“Richie, what are you talking about? You know I could never hate you. Ever.”

“But I broke apart our family, Mike.”

“What?”

Richie sighed before he looked up at Mike with more tears swimming in his eyes.

“Mom kicked out Ted,” Richie said flatly. “And it’s all my fault!”

Richie dissolved into more tears and buried his face in his hands. Mike looked at Will, who looked just as confused as Mike felt. Instinctively, Mike wrapped his arms around Richie and pulled him into a hug.

“Tell me what happened, Richie. You don’t have to be afraid of how I’m going to feel. Talk to me, Richie. Please.”

Richie let out a deep sigh before he responded.

“Well, me and Ted got into it at dinner tonight,” he explained. “He was yelling at me and telling me that my ADHD diagnosis is fake and that I just went attention. I kept trying to explain that the doctor told me what it was and that I was going to work on it. He kept telling me to stop asking for attention. No matter what I did, he just kept telling me to shut up.”

At this, Richie took several breaths as more tears threatened to fall down his face.

“Dad just doesn’t get it,” Mike said, trying to sound comforting.

“Wait, that’s not all that happened,” Richie said. “He told me that he wouldn’t have a…have a f-f-freak living in his household and he told me if I didn’t change my behavior, that I needed to go to hell.”

“He said what?” Mike spat, sounding madder than either Will or Richie had heard him before. “He seriously told you to go to hell, Richie?”

Richie didn’t speak as he nodded, bursting into tears once again.

“Oh, Richie, Richie,” Mike said as he wrapped his arms tighter around Richie and rested his chin on the top of Richie’s head. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about. Ted is a horrible person for telling you that. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

If anything, Mike’s words seemed to make Richie cry even more.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Mike asked gently as he lifted Richie’s head to look him in the eyes.

“You’re the best brother ever,” Richie said in a quiet voice. “A freak like me doesn’t deserve someone as good as you as their brother.”

“Richie, you are _not_ a freak. Please don’t talk about yourself like that. You are perfect just the way you are, Richie. And if Ted can’t see that, then that’s on him. You don’t have to change who you are just to make him happy. And if he can’t accept that you’re trying to live with the ADHD, then Mom was right to kick him out.”

Richie nodded as he hugged Mike tightly, more tears falling down his face, but he wasn’t sobbing like he had been.

“I’m sorry I ruined your sleepover,” he whispered.

“You didn’t,” Mike said quickly.

“Yeah, we totally get it, Richie,” Will added, finally speaking up for the first time since Richie started talking. “And you can stay here if you want.”

Richie nodded.

“I told Nancy I was coming here before I left and she said it would probably be a good idea if I stayed here. I mean, if it’s not trouble.”

“Of course it’s no trouble,” Will said kindly, giving Richie a smile. “You’re always welcome here, Richie.”

“Thanks, Will. I know I don’t deserve your sympathy…”

“Hey, you’re not being a burden, Richie,” Mike interrupted. “You don’t have to make yourself seem smaller just because you need someone to lean on. We’ve got you, Richie. _I’ve_ got you, and I always will. You’re my brother.”

Richie nodded as he wiped away the last of his tears and gave Mike and Will a weak smile.

“I’ll make us all some tea,” Will suggested, standing up. “And Richie, you can sleep out on the couch tonight.”

“Come on, I’ll take you out there,” Mike said, standing up and holding out a hand. Richie took it and followed Mike out of the bedroom and into the living room while Will went into the kitchen. Mike and Richie sat down on the couch together in silence until Will joined them, carrying two mugs of tea for them. Richie thanked Will and slowly drank his while Mike sipped his tea, too.

“Better?” Will asked when Richie was finished.

“Much better. Thank you.”

“Of course,” Will replied, smiling as he took the mugs and walked back into the kitchen.

“Do you think you’ll be able to sleep?” Mike asked.

“Um, could you stay here with me? At least until I fall asleep. I don’t wanna be alone right now.”

“Of course I’ll stay, Richie,” Mike said. “I’ll go get you a blanket. Why don’t you lie down and get comfortable. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” Richie said as Mike hurried out of the living room and into Will’s room. He grabbed a spare blanket from Will’s bed and walked back to the living room. Will was sitting in the recliner next to the couch and Richie was lying on the couch. Mike spread the blanket across Richie and tucked it into him.

“You’re gonna be okay, Richie. I promise.”

“Goodnight, Mike. I love you.” Richie said as he closed his eyes.

“I love you, too, Richie. Goodnight.”

As Richie drifted off to sleep, Mike refused to leave his side and started absentmindedly running his fingers through his twin’s hair, trying to provide a source of comfort. Mike smiled when he heard Richie snoring lightly, but he didn’t leave his side. After half an hour, Mike looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“I think you should stay with him,” Will said.

“But what about you?” Mike asked, looking up at Will in concern.

Will smiled at Mike.

“I’ll be okay, Mikey. I promise. He needs you right now. You should stay here with him.”

“Are you sure? I hate not sleeping next to you when I’m over here.”

“I’m sure. Now quit arguing with me and go to bed.”

“All right, all right,” Mike said sheepishly as he crawled onto the sofa, doing his best not to hit Richie with his feet. Mike lay on the opposite end of the couch and hastily grabbed the blanket and pulled it over his body, too.

Once Mike was in position, Will bent down and gave him a kiss.

“Richie’s right you know,” Will said when he broke the kiss.

“About what?”

“You really are the best brother ever. And you’re the best friend and boyfriend on the planet. I don’t know what we’d do without you, Michael Wheeler.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you guys, either. I’d be lost.”

Will grinned.

“You’re sweet,” he whispered before he gave Mike a kiss on the forehead. “Now, go to sleep. You’ve lost enough as it is.”

“Okay, _Mom_ ,” Mike said in a mocking voice as he closed his eyes. Will chuckled at his joke and laced their fingers together. It wasn’t until Mike loosened his grip slightly on Will’s hand that Will finally let go of Mike’s hand. He bent down and gave Mike another kiss on the forehead.

“I love you,” Will whispered. He then walked over to Richie and gave him a kiss on the forehead as well.

“Sleep tight, Richie. You’re safe here.”

Will then shuffled off to his bedroom and got back into bed. Though he missed the warmth of having Mike right next to him, he was able to sleep well knowing that Mike wasn’t too far away and that he was safe with Richie.

The next morning, Will woke up early. He was relieved that he felt rested, knowing that without Mike next to him, sleeping would usually be harder. Will walked into the living room and saw Mike and Richie still fast asleep on the sofa. Will smiled to himself. He noticed the blanket had draped off of Mike during the night and he adjusted it carefully to make sure Mike stayed warm. He sat down on the recliner and waited, knowing that two of the most important people in his life were okay and safe.

**Author's Note:**

> Aside from being a good boyfriend, Mike is an incredible brother. I know the focus of this story is on Mike & Richie, but I decided to tag it as Byler since I see Mike and Will as an established couple in this.
> 
> Come yell at me on Tumblr: [@wackywriterwhowriteswhenever](http://wackywriterwhowriteswhenever.tumblr.com)


End file.
